Vasuki's Past

I found myself in a dream, standing at a breathtaking waterfall, with Vasuki Aunty by my side. She was drenched, her wet saree clinging to her figure as she leaned against a large rock. Her pallu had slipped from her torso, spread out on the rock behind her, and her white sleeveless blouse was soaked and clung to her skin. Her exquisite bare belly shimmered with water droplets in the warm sunlight. Her mesmerizing navel called out to me, urging me closer, and I couldn’t resist leaning in towards her belly. Just as I was about to kiss it, the sound of my mom’s voice abruptly pierced through the dream, rudely awakening me from my blissful reverie.

Groggily, I checked the clock and was shocked to see that I was running late for college. I hurriedly jumped out of bed, got ready at record speed, and was out of the house in a matter of minutes. I reached college just in the nick of time to mark my attendance, and once the adrenaline of my rush subsided, my thoughts drifted back to Vasuki Aunty and what I had witnessed the previous night.

Throughout the day, I breezed through my classes, but my mind was elsewhere. I daydreamed about Vasuki Aunty’s belly, the image of her lying with her belly exposed replaying in my thoughts. I added vivid imagination to it, envisioning myself reaching out and gently caressing her belly, feeling its softness under my fingertips. Suddenly, a realization struck me like lightning. The picture I had drawn last night – where had I kept it? Chances are it’s on my table as that is where I tended to put my things away by instinct. What if somebody saw it? Or worse what if Vasuki Aunty herself saw it?

Anxiety surged within me, and as soon as college was over, I hurried back home, making a beeline for my room. I checked my table first, but the picture wasn’t there. Confused and worried, I began searching every nook and cranny of my room – on the shelf, in my drawers, under the bed, and in every possible hiding place. However, the picture was nowhere to be found.

Puzzled and growing increasingly anxious, I tried to brainstorm where I might have hidden it. Could I have placed it somewhere else? Or had someone already discovered it and taken it away? The thought sent shivers down my spine, filling me with fear.

I remained in my room, keeping to myself, and focused on my studies. I didn’t emerge until my mom called me for dinner later in the evening. I paid close attention to the behavior of others, trying to detect any odd or suspicious looks. My parents appeared to be their usual selves, but my Aunt, on the other hand, was quieter than usual and avoided making eye contact. She seemed somewhat restless and left the dinner table without eating much, claiming to have a stomach ache.

Worried, I finished my dinner hastily and headed to my room to check on her. When I opened the door, I was taken aback to find that the lights were off. Had she gone to sleep already? That wasn’t like her; she usually stayed up late at night. As I entered the room, I heard a soft, muffled sound of someone weeping. In the dim light filtering in from the hallway, I could see my Aunt standing before the mirror, her back to me. Alarmed, I closed the door behind me and switched on the lights.

Startled by the sudden flood of light in the room, she turned toward me. To my shock, her pallu had slipped from her belly once again, and her mesmerizing navel was on display. My eyes got glued to her navel and I stood there like an idiot with my mouth hanging open. She must have been examining herself in the mirror when I entered. She noticed where my eyes were at and quickly covered her belly while exclaiming “Stop looking !! Didn’t you have a good look already yesterday?”

Alarmed, I quickly looked up at her and was shocked to see her tear-streaked face. She held my drawing toward me as she spoke, and my heart sank. I stammered, “Vasuki Aunty, I am so sorry. I can explain…” My guilt and panic were overwhelming, but she didn’t let me finish and launched into a tirade.

“Shut up. You are just like him. You are all the same. Judging women by their navels. I get it. My navel is ugly. Did you have to humiliate me by drawing it out too?” She sobbed, and I fell silent, utterly taken aback by her unexpected reaction.

Summoning up some courage, I began to speak slowly, “Um, Vasuki Aunty, I am truly sorry for drawing your picture without your permission while you were sleeping. But I didn’t do it to humiliate you, nor do I think your navel is ugly. In fact, I believe quite the opposite. You have the most beautiful navel I’ve ever seen in my life, which is why I drew it.”

She quickly looked up, her tear-streaked face scrutinizing mine to ascertain if I was joking, and she asked in a weak voice, “Do… Do you really mean that?”

I do. I swear,” I began earnestly. “I don’t understand where you got the idea that your navel is ugly in the first place. Your navel is truly gorgeous and one of a kind. Last night, when I saw your navel for the first time, I was utterly stunned. I couldn’t stop staring at it all night.”

Vasuki Aunty looked at me with an expression of disbelief. “I… I always thought… it was ugly. It looks so big on my belly and has a weird shape. Pradeep also told…” She trailed off, her voice barely above a whisper, fidgeting with her pallu.

Realization hit me hearing her confession. It was Pradeep Uncle who had implanted that negative thought in her mind. Suddenly, another question emerged, “Wait! Is that why you always wear your saree above your navel and secure your pallu at your waist with safety pins to prevent it from shifting? Because you thought your navel was ugly?” I inquired.

She looked down and nodded, appearing incredibly vulnerable in that moment. I moved closer to her, gently took her hand, led her to sit on the bed, and sat beside her. “Tell me everything. What happened between you and Pradeep Uncle?” I asked, my tone filled with concern.

After taking a few deep breaths, Vasuki Aunty slowly began to recount her story. It had begun ten years ago when Vasuki Aunty and Pradeep Uncle got married. The initial years of their marriage were blissful. She was treated with kindness both by Pradeep and her in-laws in their home. However, slowly but surely, problems began to surface as she struggled to conceive despite years of trying. Pradeep’s parents gradually grew resentful, placing the blame on Vasuki . They began treating her poorly at home, finding faults in her and scolding her for the smallest of mistakes. Pradeep also distanced himself and became aloof, eventually joining his parents in mistreating her and belittling her.

As the mistreatment continued, Vasuki ‘s mental state began to deteriorate. Her self-confidence and pride were shattered under the constant pressure. She grew increasingly depressed and started to believe she was worthless, blaming herself for her perceived inadequacies.

Amidst all this, Pradeep carried on with an affair, secretly involved with his office secretary, Shanaya, behind Vasuki’s back. He would stay away from home for days, often claiming to be on business trips. Vasuki had her suspicions, but she kept quiet, too afraid to uncover the painful truth. She didn’t know how she would cope if her marriage were to crumble.

One day, Pradeep forgot to take the lunchbox that Vasuki had lovingly prepared for him to his office. So, Vasuki decided to deliver it herself. She went to Pradeep’s company and was directed to his office by the peon, who recognized the boss’s wife. She tried to open the office door but found it locked. Believing that Pradeep had stepped out of the office, she used the spare keys he had given her long ago to open the door and leave the lunchbox on his table. However, the sight that greeted her when she opened the door sent a chill down her spine.

It was like her worst nightmare was playing out right in front of her eyes. A hot woman that looked like a model was lying on the couch in just a skimpy sleeveless blouse and petticoat. Her saree was discarded on the floor beside. She was moaning in pleasure while holding Pradeep’s head who was laying on top of her with his head buried in her naked stomach. He was busy penetrating her beautiful round navel with his tongue, fluttering and twirling it in her navel relentlessly as she broke out in peals of pleasure gasping and moaning beneath him.

Vasuki stood there, frozen and unable to tear her gaze from the scene. The spare keys and lunchbox she held slipped from her hands, creating a loud crash as they fell to the floor. It was this sudden noise that finally brought the oblivious couple to their senses. Startled, they realized they were not alone. Shanaya swiftly retrieved her saree from the floor, hastily covering herself and appearing guilty.

“Vasuki…. What are you doing here?” Pradeep asked her in a cold voice not showing even an ounce of remorse.

Vasuki was devastated. “How could you, Pradeep? How could you betray me like this?” She asked, tears streaming down her face. When Pradeep remained silent, she hurried over to him, grabbing him by the collar. “Tell me, Pradeep. Why would you hurt me like this? Why?” She cried out.

Pradeep, his patience exhausted, shoved Vasuki away with a harshness that mirrored his inner turmoil. “You want to know why, huh? Well, I’ll show you why,” he growled, his voice laced with a venomous edge. In a flash, he reached out and tore away Shanaya’s pallu, exposing her midriff to the world. The suddenness of the act left both women speechless, their minds struggling to comprehend the audacity of his actions.

He pointed at her navel which was still dripping with his saliva and said “Look at this navel. This what we call a navel. Do you have any idea how rare it is for a woman to have a perfect, round navel like hers? Do you have any idea how desirable she is to me? “

As Vasuki stood there in shock, Pradeep swiftly released Shanaya and grabbed hold of Vasuki’s saree. Without giving her a chance to react, he forcefully removed her pallu from her shoulder and roughly inserted his fingers into her waistline, and pulled down, exposing her big navel. Feeling completely humiliated, Vasuki instinctively moved to cover her navel with her hands. However, Pradeep forcefully pushed her hand aside and cruelly pinched a handful of her midriff skin. “Look at this,” he sneered, pointing at the flesh that he had painfully pinched. “You have a fat and ugly belly. And this navel,” he added, forcefully thrusting his index finger into her deep navel, causing her to wince in pain “It’s so large and oddly shaped. Nothing like Shanaya’s beautiful navel.”

Vasuki stood rooted to the spot, her face aflame with humiliation, as Pradeep twisted his finger mercilessly in her navel. The pain was unbearable, but what stung even more was his biting remark. “And to top it off, your navel stinks,” he jeered, pulling out his finger and thrusting it in front of her face. To her disbelief, his finger was damp with her sweat and coated with dirt. Vasuki had always neglected her navel hygiene, but she never anticipated it could be this filthy .

“Now tell me. Do you honestly expect me to fuck your fat and ugly belly after seeing a perfectly shaped navel like this? Just go away and do everyone a favor. Die and save the world from having to look at your navel.” He said cruelly.

Feeling shattered and utterly humiliated Vasuki gathered her saree and hurriedly left his office without uttering another word. She quietly went home packed up her things and left quietly after leaving a letter and came to straight to her brother’s house.